Hercules Rockefeller
04-25-2006, 04:28 PM
http://www.profootballtalk.com/rumormill.htm
STOCK HAS DROPPED FOR SIX HIGH-PROFILE PLAYERS
Although there have not yet been any final-week disclosures or developments causing one or more of the draft-eligible players with name recognition to plummet this weekend, a broader look at the past several months reveals six guys who have seen their prospects for getting drafted early decline.
This information is based on our discussions with league sources, and thus is subject to the standard possibility that someone is knocking a guy in the hopes of making sure he's available at a lower round. In the end, where the guy is drafted is where the guy is drafted. (How freakin' profound.)
1. Mathias Kiawanuka, DE, Boston College.
Viewed by some as a top-five pick prior to the 2005 season, Kiawanuka will now be lucky to be selected on day one of the draft. The perception is that Kiawanuka had his "ass whupped" at the Senior Bowl, and that he showed no leg strength or intensity. Three teams that we know of have him rated as a fourth-rounder.
2. Jimmy Williams, CB, Virginia Tech.
Williams is regarded by some league insiders as a "very bad dude" -- and not in the good way. We've heard that some teams have removed him completely from their boards.
3. Claude Wroten, DT, LSU.
We reported on Friday, citing three league sources, that Wroten tested positive at the combine. Although the teams know about the result, no one else in the media has made the connection between the positive result and the negative impact on his draft stock.
Wroten also was arrested on marijuana charges earlier this year, but the charges were dropped. To compound the problem, we're told that some teams were not enamored by his interviewing skills.
4. Derek Hagan, WR, Arizona State.
Before the 2005 season, he consistently was viewed as one of the top receivers in the country. His inconsistent hands are putting him in the round three range now.
5. Dominique Byrd, TE, USC.
Byrd was seen as one of the top two tight ends before the 2005 season. But a "brutal" pro day workout and a "lackadaisical attitude" have fueled a fall.
6. LenDale White, RB, USC.
For anyone who has been living under a rock or, even worse, on top of one, White is this year's poster child for how not to handle the run-up to the draft. A hamstring injury was disclosed when he showed up for his pro day workout. He managed a total of 15 reps in the 225-pound bench press.
At one point, White was a possible top-ten pick. Now, he'll be lucky to hear his name called by dinner time on Saturday. White's likely response?
"Mmmm. Dinner."
STOCK HAS DROPPED FOR SIX HIGH-PROFILE PLAYERS
Although there have not yet been any final-week disclosures or developments causing one or more of the draft-eligible players with name recognition to plummet this weekend, a broader look at the past several months reveals six guys who have seen their prospects for getting drafted early decline.
This information is based on our discussions with league sources, and thus is subject to the standard possibility that someone is knocking a guy in the hopes of making sure he's available at a lower round. In the end, where the guy is drafted is where the guy is drafted. (How freakin' profound.)
1. Mathias Kiawanuka, DE, Boston College.
Viewed by some as a top-five pick prior to the 2005 season, Kiawanuka will now be lucky to be selected on day one of the draft. The perception is that Kiawanuka had his "ass whupped" at the Senior Bowl, and that he showed no leg strength or intensity. Three teams that we know of have him rated as a fourth-rounder.
2. Jimmy Williams, CB, Virginia Tech.
Williams is regarded by some league insiders as a "very bad dude" -- and not in the good way. We've heard that some teams have removed him completely from their boards.
3. Claude Wroten, DT, LSU.
We reported on Friday, citing three league sources, that Wroten tested positive at the combine. Although the teams know about the result, no one else in the media has made the connection between the positive result and the negative impact on his draft stock.
Wroten also was arrested on marijuana charges earlier this year, but the charges were dropped. To compound the problem, we're told that some teams were not enamored by his interviewing skills.
4. Derek Hagan, WR, Arizona State.
Before the 2005 season, he consistently was viewed as one of the top receivers in the country. His inconsistent hands are putting him in the round three range now.
5. Dominique Byrd, TE, USC.
Byrd was seen as one of the top two tight ends before the 2005 season. But a "brutal" pro day workout and a "lackadaisical attitude" have fueled a fall.
6. LenDale White, RB, USC.
For anyone who has been living under a rock or, even worse, on top of one, White is this year's poster child for how not to handle the run-up to the draft. A hamstring injury was disclosed when he showed up for his pro day workout. He managed a total of 15 reps in the 225-pound bench press.
At one point, White was a possible top-ten pick. Now, he'll be lucky to hear his name called by dinner time on Saturday. White's likely response?
"Mmmm. Dinner."